—each according to the length of time he kept the Prophet’s company, the precedence he gained with him, what he heard from him, and even the single glance he cast upon him. Thus, the least of them in companionship is better than the generation that never saw him, even were that generation to meet Allah with every imaginable good deed. Indeed, those who accompanied the Prophet ﷺ, beheld him, and listened to him are—by virtue of that companionship—superior to the tābiʿīn (the Followers), even if the latter were to perform every act of righteousness.